Five Days Together
by Irrevocable Truth
Summary: Sure, they had spent practically every day together--but in ONE room? For FIVE days? Well, seriously now. That's just plain torture. When circumstances cause Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru and a new girl to stay in one room .. things happen.
1. Of Rooms and Happy Bunnies

**Disclaimer**: Standard disclaimer; applies to all the chapters in this fanfiction. I do not own Gakuen Alice (nor the characters), Higuchi Tachibana does. I earn no profit in creating this work of fiction :3

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**Chapter One  
Of Rooms and Happy Bunnies **

**

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**

It was normal third grade short story scenery. Sun shining, birds flying, trees a leafy green, and of course, Class B disrupting every other class on the floor through loud, high-pitched voices, the occasional chicken-shaped alarm clock clucking incessantly, not to mention something (i.e. a book, a bag, a person) hitting either the wall or the floor with a loud thud every seven minutes or so.

Typical Tuesday morning; _what could possibly go wrong_?

I trust, though, that you have watched enough cartoons on TV to know that when someone tells you nothing can go wrong, they do.

Mr. Narumi came bursting through the doors with a lopsided grin etched on his features. He just stood there, smirking like a maniac, waiting for the students to turn their attention to him. Eventually they did, more from curiosity than of respect, really, because this effeminate teacher of theirs hardly ever stayed silent for more than three seconds.

"GOOD MORNING, my very, very, very _kind_ and accepting class," he greeted.

A few students arched their eyebrows professionally, the way Mikan could never quite seem to get right. _He only compliments when he's up to something._ Which, when they think about it, actually happens quite frequently.

Lo and behold, the answer to their unvoiced questions:

"I trust that everybody remembers their English project, yes? It's 60% of your grade. So don't even think about not passing." He sneaks a glance at Natsume. The boy returns it with a low, incoherent growl. "Well, I'm postponing the deadline to five days from now, instead of 12 midnight tomorrow like we originally planned."

There was a slight cheer from the class, a few people murmuring about how relieved they were they wouldn't need to cram later, and how this gave them more time to go the Internet shop later and hang out and—

"However," he continued suspiciously. "You have to add another 1000 words to your essay, on a separate page, preferably on 8.5 by 11 paper, _handwritten_, about another activity I have planned for you. You are to stay in _one room_ with four other people. You are permitted to choose who you wish to stay with, and this shall hold up until the deadline of this paper."

Mochu groaned and asked, "We can't go out _at all_?"

"You're free to go out, but by 11 PM you must be in your room, and you are not allowed to leave again until 6 AM."

There were colorful curses and complaints, but no one completely rejected the idea. Nobody wanted to risk more than half of their grades just 'cause they didn't want a sleepover.

"Go and look for your roommates now, then."

Some stood up to invite their friends, others remained seated and waited for someone to invite them instead.

It didn't take Mikan any words. Just one pleading glance at Hotaru.

And she was off flying through the air and crashing into the hard wall for trying to tackle-hug our sophisticated inventor.

"Pleaaaaaaase, Hotarruuu?" She chided in that annoying sugar-coated voice of hers.

Hotaru glanced to her right, then to her left. She succumbed. "Fine. But I'm only in it for the cash."

"The cash?" Mikan was about to ask, but the sight of two certain guys walking towards them made her stop and try to process things first.

"Hi, Mikan," Ruka waved stiffly. His pet bunny was perched precariously on his head, and Ruka was careful enough not to endanger it by making unnecessary and sudden movements.

"Oh, hello, Ruka-pyon." She beamed, partly because she was happy Ruka had finally dropped the honorific on her name, and partly because she wanted to keep the _–pyon_ on his name forever. Or at least until they were 23.

"Mind if we joined your room?" He asked sheepishly. He glanced to his right, and his eyes clashed with something close to tyrian purple.  
_Keep it cool, Ruka Nogi._ He fought back the heat stinging his ears.

"Uh…" He stumbled on his words, and Natsume's laid-back attitude and hands-tucked-in-pockets posture wasn't doing much to help.

"Sure!" Mikan exclaimed. She didn't even ask why they didn't want to be with the guys instead; she didn't even care what the implications of having guys and girls mixed in a single room were. She just smiled and said yes. "You guys will be staying with me and Hotaru! I'm so excited!"

Ruka turned furiously red at this.

Mikan giggled. "You're so cute when you blush, Ruka-pyon!"

This statement did not help Ruka's state. Natsume gruffly shrugged his shoulders, and Mikan, upon noticing the defiant gesture, pouted. "I don't get why Natsume has to come with us, though. He's such a meanie."

"Ruka in the hands of an idiot like you is not good," Natsume replied, smirking. "I cannot risk the safety of my best friend."

"That's meaaaaann. I hate you, I hate you, Ihateyou," she spat. She stuck her tongue out playfully, and that seemed to calm her nerves and make her forget she was angry in the first place. "That reminds me. We need another person—"

"Oh, Mikan-chan, we already have someone planned to go with you four," Narumi suddenly piped in. Where on earth did _he_ come from all of a sudden?

The three looked at their teacher in an accusing, almost suspicious sort of stare, whilst Mikan, ever so naïve, only squealed in delight.

"I can't wait!" she said, before prancing out the door, hand-in-hand with their blonde adviser.

As they pirouetted through the hallways, Mikan snuck a glance at her cheerful instructor.

She used to wonder what kept Mr. Narumi so high and energetic. Hotaru had, before resigning to screwing together another model of her multi-purpose kitchen appliance, advised her to _look into herself_ and see _what made her happy_ that could possibly apply to Narumi, instead of asking busy people such as her such stupid questions.

Apparently Narumi anticipated the taste of fluff puffs and the thought of rainbows and pink poodles, too.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know this is a bit more formal than the way I usually write. I noticed it, too. I sincerely hope you don't mind. This is also probably my second _rewrite_ (yes, not revision, _rewrite_) of this chapter. I'm considering some plot changes from the original work (since that just sucked), too.


	2. Of Broken Bathroom Doors and Strangers

**A/N: **In this fanfic, they do not know Luna yet, and Luna doesn't hate Mikan to her guts. Feel free to tell me if you think I'm going too fast with the story development, or if you have any suggestions you think might improve the quality of this work.

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**Chapter Two  
****Of Broken Bathroom Doors and Strangers**

******

* * *

**

"No," Natsume stated with a finality that was hard to argue with.

"Phooey," Mikan smacked the back of his head, and he glared. Had it been any other girl, they'd have been dead.

"Watch where you hit, you moron," he spat.

"Bleh!" she shouted. "You're just insulting me because you wouldn't hit a girl—"

"You wanna bet on that?"

"—and because you're too much of a party-pooper to accept the fact that a new girl is going to be staying with us!" Mikan finished, her hands placed firmly on her waist, staring him down and trying to look intimidating. Take note: _trying_.

Natsume scoffed.

"This is Luna Koizumi," Narumi started. "She's been assigned to stay with the four of you."

Hotaru didn't even spare the girl a glance, and Ruka merely nodded.

"No," Natsume repeated. "She _won't _stay." His eyes were latched on hers, but she did not falter. This, in itself, was a bad sign for Natsume. _She wasn't just a normal girl._

All of a sudden, the girl's stoic expression turned into a smirk. "You afraid, _Hyuuga_?" she taunted.

Natsume's body veered on alert mode.

"Amazing, Koizumi-san!" Mikan exclaimed. "How'd you know his name?"

Luna frowned at Mikan for a bit, her eyes squinted as if she was trying to distinguish whether she was worth the effort to answer back. In the end, she said, "I have my ways."

"No," came Natsume's answer to the neglected question.

Luna whipped her head around to look directly at him. "Good, Hyuuga. I was hoping you'd say that."

"Now, now, children, don't fight." Narumi quipped, but there was too much tension in the air for any of them to pay attention to him.

Mikan looked around, uncomfortable with the silence. Natsume and Luna were staring at each other, Narumi was befuddled, and Ruka and Hotaru were going on with their typical lives. Mikan coughed, took a step forward, and boldly extended her hand in front of Luna.

"Hi!" she greeted. "My name's Mikan Sakura. I don't know what the deal with Natsume is, but you shouldn't mind him. He's a poopie-head anyway." She laughed, and Luna shook her hand.

Narumi waved. "I'll leave her to you, then, Mikan-chan!" Mikan nodded, and he shut the door and left.

"That's Ruka Nogi," Mikan chirped, pointing to the boy with the rabbit. Ruka smiled in acknowledgement. "And that's Hotaru Imai." Hotaru raised her head from the piles of screwdrivers and hammers around her latest project, looked at Luna, and resumed her work. "She's my best friend!" Mikan exclaimed.

"And that's—" Mikan stopped and chuckled. "Well, you already know who Natsume is."

Natsume grunted and jumped down from the window sill, walking towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going, Natsume-kun?" Mikan asked, her eyes following him.

"While you're having your prep talk of giggly happiness," he turned around so that he was looking at her, "I will take a bath. Because that's what _smart people_ do, instead of wasting their time babbling."

"You mean jerks like you who don't exactly give new students the welcome feel that they deserve?" She mumbled inaudibly.

Natsume's ears perked up and he flinched at the statement, immediately having the urge to burn her hair and make a witty remark, but decided, instead, to practice his art of self-control. He twisted around, and walked towards the bathroom door.

* * *

"Your hair is so pretty, Koizumi-san!" Mikan stroked Luna's strawberry blonde hair, relishing in how smooth it was and noting inwardly how there were no split ends.

"Thanks," Luna smiled, although the smile seemed more forced rather than cheerful. Luna reached out and touched Mikan's hair. Mikan smiled and looked at her face, hoping to gauge her reaction. Her eyes squinted (Mikan silently paid attention to how she seemed to do that when she was trying to think about what to say next), and she let go of the strands of hair she was holding between her forefinger and thumb. "It's…" she paused. "Your hair is great, too, Sakura-san."

Mikan was about to ask about the way she paused, as if she didn't quite believe what she was going to say next, but settled against it, in case she was trying to be polite. Mikan smiled at her instead.

* * *

"You _freak_," he said grimly.

Luna sobbed into Mikan's chest. "I really—You have to understand, I—Hyuuga-san, you see—"

"Shut up, hag," Natsume took a few steps forward, to the direction where Luna and Mikan were currently huddled in a corner near the bathroom door. "What did you expect, that I'd be freakin' _naked _or something?"

"Natsume!" Mikan shouted crossly. "Don't go accusing her like that!"

"No, no, Sakura-san, he has every," Luna sniffed, "he has every right to—to be m-mad at me, it's all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm such a klutz. I-I-I'm so—I'm sorry!" she wailed louder, and Mikan slightly twitched at the intensity. "You understand, right, Sakura-san? You do, right?"

"I understand, Koizumi-san," Mikan reassured her.

Natsume rolled his eyes, unable to tolerate the stupidity of this very scene.

"_Look_," Natsume said. "You practically smashed your fist _deliberately_ through the bathroom door while I was inside. If that isn't insane and desperate to you, I don't know what is."

"That's not true!" Mikan stood up and stood eye-to-eye with Natsume, except that with her 5'3 stature in comparison to Natsume's glaring 5'9 height, he was hovering above her, and her eyes were barely in contact with his. Rather, they were staring at two very, very luscious lips that she could probably—

The very soft click of Hotaru's camera was heard, and Mikan could practically_ see_ her best friend's calculation in that intellectual brain of hers the earnings from merchandise of a very hot, dripping wet Natsume—in messy clothes that he had hastily put on after hearing the glass door shatter—and Mikan, their faces only inches apart.

The very left side of Natsume's mouth tilted upwards, and she knew that he knew what was racing through her head at that very moment. She was flushed, so she bowed her head, away from his gaze. "What I'm s-saying," Mikan continued, mentally groaning at how she had stuttered, "is that it was an accident. Right, Koizumi-san?" Her gaze shifted to Luna's puffy eyes.

"Y-yes, Sakura-san, Hyuuga-san. I swear I didn't mean to crash into the bathroom door like that." Her voice was solemn, but her eyes were saying something else.

"Like I said." Mikan had regained her composure. "She was just upset because I asked her what her father was like."

"I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san. It's just that my father," Luna stood up, "he used to abuse me, and I've pretty much been traumatized ever since then. I get panic attacks sometimes." She was now dangerously close to both Natsume and Mikan, since they were still in their uncomfortable glaring contest.

Upon realizing how close she still was, Mikan took a few steps back. Luna seized this opportunity and cuddled close to Natsume. "Please, please forgive me, Hyuuga-san." She pouted. Her finger trailed along his arms, gingerly drawing circles. Mikan tried to ignore the voice inside her screaming, "_Don't let her get too close to him_."

"It's just that the male influence I used to have in my family has always been so…" Luna puckered her lips. "…un-gentleman-ly. And I guess I'll just stop having these panic attacks once I've met someone who'll treat me like a _real _lady." She twirled a strand of hair on her finger as she batted her eyelashes at him.

Natsume, throughout this little monologue of hers, had just stared. Mikan, on the other hand, was stuck between being shocked at how flirty Luna was being, and piping up and saying something in Luna's defense so that Natsume would finally be convinced.

Ruka, staying quiet, but watching the melodrama that was unfurling in front of him, could only watch as the girl who had lashed out and taunted Natsume upon meeting him transformed into a regular teen who talked to Mikan about their hair, and then the shy girl who was sobbing and begging for forgiveness, and then, finally, turning into a skank that happened to be very, very suggestive.

"What do you think I'll have to do to get you to forgive me?" Luna said, pulling out an expression that, to a normal guy, would have been very provocative.

There was silence.

Finally, Natsume smirked. "What'll we do with a naughty girl like you?" Luna smiled then. Men, she thought, were just too easy to manipulate.

Mikan could feel the heat rising up her whole body as she stood as a spectator to this show, and Hotaru shot up an inquisitive eyebrow.

"First," Natsume said, his eyes filled with mischief. His hand trailed up to trap her shoulder in his grasp, and all of a sudden, the mischief turned into rage. "Get you and your filth as darn away from me as possible." He pushed her roughly, and she stumbled back.

As much as Mikan hated to admit it, and as much as she wanted to feel sorry for Luna and get on her side against Natsume, she could not deny the overwhelming feeling inside her when she thought Natsume and Luna might become a couple on their first night together.


	3. Of Dinner Conversations and Threats

**Chapter Three  
****Of Dinner Conversations and Threats**

**

* * *

**

Sumire groaned, shaking her head slowly and covering her ears with her hands.

"Pleaaaase, no _more_!" Koko said.

"Stop reading my mind, you private-space-violator you!" Sumire snapped, but Koko just smiled, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he did so. Sumire gasped. "You just completely reduced my vocabulary to that of a corny third grader! I can't believe you!" She threw up her arms to emphasize her point.

"Shut your trap, you two," Mochu drawled.

"I so can't believe you'd even have the nerve to place me in the same room as that… that…" She stared at Koko in horror. "…_thing_!"

"That's mean, Sumire-chan," Nonoko said, chuckling softly to herself and sipping some of her milkshake through her straw.

Koko placed a hand over his heart. "You have hurt me more than you will ever realize, my betrothed!" He batted his eyelashes mockingly at her, and it took her all her resolve not to scratch him with one of her feline claws, bite him, and perhaps strangle him to death. Koko turned to eat his sundae.

"_Betrothed!_?" Sumire stared disbelievingly at him. "I would personally kill myself before that ever happens!"

Mochu hissed knowingly at this.

"Oh yeah?" Koko challenged, licking the melted ice cream that had stayed on his lips.

"Y-yeah!" She answered.

Koko looked straight into her eyes, daring her to look away. "Then why, I wonder, does your mind tell me you're thinking you want to kiss me right now?"

She attempted to slap him, but his hand caught her wrist, and he grinned.

"Those two will never get tired of this," Anna said, her eyes flooded with genuine fascination at the duo's sitcom performance.

Mikan spoke up, her mouth full from trying to stuff about a dozen spoonfuls of rice in it: "Theiy schood it dher dinnneeer!" She grabbed a glass of water and chugged the contents down. She released a breath after she did so. "They're wasting precious food!" She smiled at them, before she proceeded to stuff more of the cuisine in her mouth.

"Pig," Natsume muttered.

"Tchay hearsch you!" Mikan mumbled incoherently.

"She says she heard you, Natsume-kun," Yuu offered.

"Hn," came Natsume's nonchalant reply.

"You should get an award for this full-mouth-talking-interpretation business of yours, Iinchou," Nonoko teased. Yuu blushed and decided to stare at the floor.

"—and I mean seriously, you're a _retard_. You should be sent to the cuckoo hospital or whatever. That Narumi would _so_ know the phone number. He probably has an autistic brother that stays there. I wouldn't be surprised." Sumire's speech lasted for a good eight minutes or so; talking had always been one of her lifelines to sanity before she imploded at the humiliation this mind-reader was bringing her.

"Waisch Koischumi-zan not here?" Mikan burbled.

Natsume grunted. "Don't talk when your mouth is full, pig."

"What's with this Koizumi girl anyway?" Sumire suddenly said, switching subjects easily, like the talking machine that she was. "I heard she was drooling all over _my_ Natsume?"

"It's okay, catdog." Koko patted Sumire's shoulder. "I'm fine with sharing you with my Natsume bro over here. He's a hot dude, anyway."

An awkward silence.

Nonoko stared worriedly at him. "Koko…"

"…don't tell me you're _gay_?" Anna finished.

"What! No! Of course I'm not—" He caught the unconvinced eyes of his peers, including Natsume's look of horror. "I meant that in the least gay way! I was referring to his fire alice." There was relief on their faces; and they would have stayed there, had it not been for his next statement. "Not that you're _not_ hot, Natsume, because you _are_—"

The look of utter shock on their faces came back. "WAIT. I didn't—I…!" Koko was blushing now, and the thoughts he was reading from their minds were not helping at all.

"I swear, man, I'm not _gay_."

"Whatever, Koko. No wonder you always commented on my hair color. You were just jealous. You should have, like, said so, I mean, I have nothing against homosexuals." Sumire raised an eyebrow. "Or are you bi?" Koko opened his mouth to protest, but Sumire swished it away with a sharp flick of her hand. "Whatev. I don't really care. We could totally do each others' hair and spazz about Natsume-sama. No need to keep it in the closet."

"That's—" Koko would've protested, but the others didn't seem to be paying attention to him anymore, convinced after that heartening talk from Sumire.

And that was when the cafeteria doors made a loud BAM! as someone opened them roughly. "Hyuuga-san!" a guy with wide-rimmed glasses half-shouted, half-panted, as he tightened his grip on the door handle. He leaned against it for support, obviously exhausted from the physical exertion that he, nerd extraordinaire, had undergone.

Natsume turned his head around –excruciatingly slowly for the other by-standers— and roughly asked, "What?"

"Koizumi-san! She—"

* * *

"What the hell are you doing, madwoman!" he shouted.

"You depressed me, Natsume-kun." Luna sat at the branch of the sakura tree, albeit carelessly, the rope placed expertly around her neck and tied firmly onto said branch. "I only wanted to _be_ with you, you know."

"And what do you do?" She inched towards the edge of the branch, half of her body now hanging precariously. "You _neglect_ me and push me away."

"You were throwing yourself all over me," Natsume replied, calmer now.

"Playing hard-to-get, then?" She smiled bitterly. "I don't like chasing, Hyuuga. My endurance can only go on for so long."

There were murmurs, mainly from the fangirls in the audience.

"Long meaning a few measly hours?" He taunted.

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Yes."

"Save me, superman." She crossed her legs, as if she wasn't dangerously hanging off a tree branch, as if she hadn't been threatening to commit suicide. "And I may just fall in love with you again. We can work this out, if we try."

"The nerve of that b—" Sumire sweared.

"Natsume…" Mikan started. Her voice was pleading, begging him to save her, do _anything_, just save her, but Natsume tried to place it in the back of his head. He didn't need this right now. He didn't want this. His gaze remained on Luna.

"I have no intention of going out with dirt like you." He replied. "Now get off that branch. I don't want your blood all over it. Find another tree."

"You have _no idea_ what I'm capable of when I don't get what I want." Luna warned.

"Please, Natsume just—"

"—shut up, will you, polka?" He snapped.

Mikan took a step back, bit her lip, and turned away.

"Try me, Koizumi. Just try me." He glared; the death glare that 98% of the population of the world would cower under, but Luna was part of the minority.

She removed the rope from around her neck—the crowd sighed in relief—jumped, and walked towards him. "Oh, I will, Hyuuga. You just see."

* * *

There was temporary ceasefire between Natsume and Luna that night. It was almost as if nothing had happened, though Mikan doubted Natsume had _really _forgotten about it – he was far too ego-centric for that.

"I'm sleeping on the bed," Luna declared, finally, getting up smoothly from her chair.

"But there's only… one bed, Koizumi-san," Mikan murmured.

Luna looked at her, deciding what her next words would be. She smiled, startling Mikan, and said, "We can share then, Sakura-san."

Mikan beamed, glad to find the Luna that she was originally introduced to.

"Bipolar witch," Natsume muttered.

Luna threw him an acrid glare, which he returned with an automated sneer.

"I'd love to," Mikan replied, trying to buffer the oncoming war. "I mean, if it's alright with the others."

"I'm volunteering Nogi here to sleep on the couch," Hotaru said. "I'll be in my cocoon."

She took a remote from her breast pocket, pushed a green button, and her invention was laid out before her. She threw another remote to Natsume (who caught it with ease), before climbing into her cocoon without another word, ignoring Ruka's protests.

"—but our couch seriously hurts my back!"

Natsume initiated the invention with the push of a button, and a bed unfurled in front of him.

"Come on, Sakura-san," Luna said, tugging on Mikan's hand. "Let's go sleep?"

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Three beeps resounded throughout the room, and everyone stopped in their tracks. Months spent with Natsume had made them all too aware of what it meant.

_Another mission._

_

* * *

_

**A/N**: Okaaaay. This was honestly supposed to be longer than this. X) I actually finished around.. 4/5 of this two months ago, but I was planning to make this longer, seriously, so I left it around. But when I opened it today I realized I should end the chapter already, because otherwise too many events would be cramped into one. I'm sorry for the quality of this story. It just seems to lack purpose, but I just really wanted to revise this story of mine from long, long ago. _Review?_


	4. Of Missions and Heartbeats

**Chapter Four  
Of Missions and Heartbeats**

**

* * *

**

"Don't kill anyone; the Academy specifically ordered that no blood be shed. The organization we're up against are a threat as long as they have that letter, but they're still vital business partners. We can't risk any unnecessary controversies," came the remote voice from the other side of the walkie talkie.

Natsume tried to drone the voice out, only listening to things he actually _needed_ to know. He found the corporate world too much for him to handle; the world of the rich and famous were too complicated for a teenager to understand. He had faced a lot of traumatizing events, but nothing could ever make him fully comprehend the machinations behind the scenes of the adult world, not unless he experienced firsthand what it would be like to climb his way up the social ladder, and because it hadn't occurred to him – not yet, anyway, and at the rate the degradation of his body was going, he wasn't sure he'd even take his first step up those rungs – he resorted to just following orders when he wasn't concerned.

"Distract the guards and go through the front door. Make sure not to set off any alarms, and don't let the security cameras see you – there're about four cameras every floor, all being simultaneously monitored by a group of men in the third floor, Room 335-A."

He peeked between the leaves of the tree he was stealthily hiding behind as he was briefed on his mission and saw the site: the building was no less than around seven floors, each room with a balcony and crimson curtains draping over the large windows.

"You are to infiltrate Room 409. When you arrive on the fourth floor, turn on your first left, turn on your second right, then go straight through that corridor until you reach the room before the very last one on that hallway. Look for a letter in a red envelope with the emblem of Peninsula04."

He jumped, landing softly on the ground right in front of the security guards, and before they could shout or move, he'd immobilized them by using a technique Persona had recently taught him.

"And remember, Hyuuga. Don't leave any traces of our work – although I'm sure they'll get the hint."

Like he ever did anything that would compromise the Academy's reputation.

He hated the system; the Academy's system, everything. But he was a slave to their workings, because he had grown up within that kind of captivity for far longer than he'd liked, and without really noticing he'd somehow turned into an obedient dog; never risking doing anything that would put the Academy in real danger.

That night, it didn't really matter why, though. He had a mission; all that mattered was doing it in the least amount of time possible, coming back with the least number of scratches, back to that school with the people he loved.

* * *

She was restless.

Mikan fixed her eyes onto the ceiling, desperately trying to control her erratic breathing and the compelling need to wait by the window sill (she knew, of course, that he'd never even try to enter the room through the door, on the false assumption that he'd wake them up). _Come home safely tonight, Natsume_, she thought, and as if on cue a gust of wind swishes into the room and she sits up automatically.

Luna turned. Mikan waited to see whether she'd wake up, and after concluding she was still fast asleep, she got out of bed and rushed to the window.

Natsume was sitting on the carpeted floor – near the window, just like she'd predicted— his back pressed against the wall, his left hand clutching his right arm, blood dripping slowly from both the gash on his arm and the wound on his face she couldn't quite see.

"Oh God," she breathed. She ran over to him and took off his mask. "Oh God, Natsume," she repeated, as she looked at the deep cut on his face.

Mikan stood up. "I'll go get a teacher or the school nur –"

"Don't," he said, as he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Natsume, please. You're bleeding and I'm so worried I…"

His hand squeezed hers tighter, and she paused, looked at him, felt a fiery burn in her eyes. _Just stay_, he was saying, and it was in his grasp and it was in his eyes but it wasn't in his words, but she understood.

She wanted to be close to him. In his warmth, in his arms.

"Will you at least let me bandage your wounds?" she choked out.

There was silence, then a scoff. "If it makes you feel any better, idiot."

Despite herself, she smiled, then rushed to the cabinet to get the first-aid kit. When she came back his eyes were already closed – he'd fallen asleep even though he was still sitting.

"Natsume…" She poked him, and when he didn't wake up, she continued with the procedure.

She cleaned his wounds, and every now and again he'd twitch or turn, but she did things slowly and carefully, and he hadn't awaken from his slumber. Finally, she sat beside him, her back pressed against the same wall, and she stared at him: the black cat's sleeping face was much too serene, much too beautiful.

She held his hand in her own. "Stop worrying me like that," she murmured.

She sat beside him, trying to concentrate on that soft heartbeat she could feel from the blood vessels in his hand – she'd learned that the blood, when it flowed through the vessels, were the cause of this heartbeat – barely noticeable, but she listened anyway, tried to make sense of the rhythm, hoped she'd hear something there, as if because the blood circulated through his heart it carried all the secrets he was keeping.

* * *

**A/N: **So I wrote this chapter I don't know when, but I felt like I needed to lengthen it more so I left it for a while, but now I realize I don't know what else to add, because all the things I can think of would only serve anti-climactic to the events in this chapter, so sorry if it's so short, and I just realized this happened to the other chapter, too. 8D


End file.
